Parents Demand Resignations After Arrests At Mark Morris High School – KXL

Longview families confronted their school board last night, following the arrest of two basketball players, accused of sexually assaulting younger teammates.

The 16- and 17-year old basketball players are accused of sexually assaulting younger teammates. Parents say the school knew about the allegations weeks before their arrest.

“You guys did not protect our children,” One mother said.

“These allegations are not something that should be swept under the rug,” Another parent said. “The police should have been immediately brought in. This never should have been an internal investigation.”

A number of parents called for resignations.

“If you fail to step down, this will not go away,” A Mark Morris dad said. “The parents of this district are done tolerating your antics, protecting public image over children.”

While the board did not apologize, they did say they are focused on safety.

And Superintendent Karen Cloninger said she’s concerned about families’ lack of trust in the district.

“I know trust is going through consistent actions, not just words,” Cloninger said.

“We are committed to learning from this moment and strengthening our system and our process so that safety remains the center of everything that we do,” School board president Don Wiitala said.

Part of the police investigation is into whether school staff neglected their mandatory reporting duties.